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So you’ve been dating steadily and you want to give anniversary gifts, yet you aren’t sure what would be appropriate. It makes sense that you are a little confused. First, when you are dating, you may not feel comfortable giving gifts that are appropriate for married couples, yet you still want to express your feelings of love, so what should you do? Well, here are some ideas that can help you find the perfect anniversary gift whether you have been dating for one month or several years.
A good rule of thumb is to make the anniversary gift as special and romantic as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to think back to when you first met and base the gift on something that pertains to your first encounter together. When choosing an anniversary gift based upon your specific relationship, consider the place of your first meeting, where you shared your first kiss, what activity you participated in on your first date and choose a gift that is related to one of these events.
For example, if you visited a movie together, then you could give anything that was related to that movie or even a movie script. You could also create a photo scrapbook that includes pictures of your relationship together from the beginning. This is a nice sentimental gift that is rather inexpensive as well.
It is a good idea to follow the basic anniversary gift guidelines whether you are celebrating one month or one year of dating with items that are from the wedding anniversary gift. Though it is rare to date exclusively past ten years without being married, it does occur. Here are the traditional gift items associated with each anniversary:
1st Anniversary – Paper
2nd Anniversary – Cotton
3rd Anniversary – Leather
4th Anniversary – Flowers
5th Anniversary – Wood
6th Anniversary – Iron
7th Anniversary – Wool or Copper
8th Anniversary – Bronze
9th Anniversary – Pottery or China
10th Anniversary – Tin or Aluminum
11th Anniversary – Steel
12th Anniversary – Silk
13th Anniversary – Lace
14th Anniversary – Ivory
15th Anniversary – Crystal
This list has also been modernized to include new materials. You can choose whether to pick gifts from the traditional or the modern list. Here is the modern anniversary gift list:
1st Anniversary – Clocks
2nd Anniversary – China
3rd Anniversary – Crystal or Glass
4th Anniversary – Applicances
5th Anniversary – Silverware
6th Anniversary – Wood
7th Anniversary – Desk Sets
8th Anniversary – Linens or Lace
9th Anniversary – Leather
10th Anniversary – Diamond Jewelry
11th Anniversary – Fashion Jewelry
12th Anniversary – Pearls
13th Anniversary – Textiles
14th Anniversary – Gold Jewlery
15th Anniversary – Watches
With a little creativity and ingenuity, you can choose the best anniversary gift from either the traditional or modern list that is appropriate for your particular relationship. There are also a number of flowers that are associated with each anniversary and these also make wonderful additions to your gift giving. Here are the flowers
appropriate for each anniversary:
1st Anniversary – Orange Blossoms or Pansies
2nd Anniversary – Cosmos
3rd Anniversary – Fuchsia
4th Anniversary – Geranium
5th Anniversary – Daisy
6th Anniversary – Calla Lilly
7th Anniversary – Jack-In-The-Pulpit
8th Anniversary – Clematis
9th Anniversary – Poppy
10th Anniversary – Daffodil
11th Anniversary – Morning Glory
12th Anniversary – Peony
13th Anniversary – Hollyhock
14th Anniversary – Dahlia
15th Anniversary – Rose
(On February 3rd, 2008 at 12:11 pm)
i have been looking for htis list thanks so much for having it.
(On June 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pm)
this was very helpful. however, we are having the issue about who should actually plan the events for the night of the anniversary. please give some advice on this issue.
(On June 8th, 2008 at 7:23 pm)
my boyfriend and i have our one year anniversary coming up on july 10th. i asked him what he wanted to do, maybe have dinner? and he said he wanted to do something a little more romantic… but what?! lol i don't know what to do… any ideas?
(On June 8th, 2008 at 7:31 pm)
Hey Lindsey,
Are you going to be taking control of the planning for the anniversary or will he? Let me know where you guys live and the budget you're looking at…I'll try to come up with some ideas for ya.
(On June 19th, 2008 at 6:52 am)
My boyfriend and I have our 4 yr. anniversary coming in 6 weeks, I have no idea of what to do. Does anyone have any ideas?
(On June 20th, 2008 at 11:33 am)
Hey Angie,
Check out the question I asked right above your comment. Let me know where you live and what your budget is like.
(On July 22nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm)
I am in a relationship and need to know if we should be celebrating 6 months or a year or what? We have been dating 3 months.
(On July 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm)
Hey Matt,
There really is no set milestones when it comes to celebrating your anniversary. Some of the women I've dated couldn't care less (as long as you remembered the annual one) while others wanted to celebrate it monthly. While I feel that the later is a bit excessive, a 6 month anniversary is sounds pretty reasonable.
Has she hinted anything about it? If not, a simple card will go a long way and you don't have to make an event out of it.
(On July 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am)
Hi Ron,
My sweetie and I are about to celebrate our 1-year anniversary (we are in our middle years – 40s). He is very romantic so I've tried to do a few sweet things for him. I have themed my gifts by "heart", "mind", "body" and "soul". And we plan to revisit the same activity where we enjoyed our very first date. My question: Our first date was on the first Friday of August – should we stick with the actual numeric date (i.e. August 3), or the "concept" (i.e. First Friday in August)??
Thanks!
(On August 5th, 2008 at 5:05 pm)
Hi my boyfriend and I have been dating for a year with our anniversary coming-up. I'm not sure what to get him so I was hoping you could help me. We originally met at a Phillies game last year. I already bought tickets for the game but I'm not sure what else I can do. Any advise would be great!
(On October 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am)
hey. my best friend and his girlfriend are having their one year anniversary today and he has asked me what I thought would be a good cheap idea for them. . Me and my boyfriend have been together for over 3 years, so the 1st year gifts have kinda faded from my thoughts. Any good ideas for them..?
(On October 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am)
Summer,
The best type of gifts are ones that the couple will use and enjoy. What types of activities do they participate in together? Do they eat out a lot? Go to the movies? A restaurant or movie gift certificate would be a great gift in this case. If they like the same type of music, you may be able to find concert tickets for them or some other type of entertainment they can enjoy together.
There are no "one size fits all" when it comes to gifts. Take what you know about these people (what they like and enjoy) and use that as inspiration for the perfect gift for the two of them!
(On October 6th, 2008 at 2:11 pm)
My boyfriend and I are coming up on our one year of dating and I don't know what to get him and I don't know what we can do. I know we kind of talked about getting a hotel room for a night but I don't know. We met at a Sears and then that afternoon we went to a brewery with my parents and brother and then we went out to eat. We were only dating for a week when he had to head back to San Diego cuz at the time he was in the Navy. So he was deployed 7 months that we were dating and then he bought my tickt out there to see him when he got back. He is now done with the Navy but I'm stuck on what to get him and what to do please help!! Thank You. By the way he dosen't really let me pay for anything…I payed for the haunted house we went to this past weekend so if that helps the better!
(On October 8th, 2008 at 9:50 am)
ok help!! me and my boyfriend have been dating for almost a year and i wanna do something sweet n romantic for him but i cant come up with anything.
(On October 14th, 2008 at 8:19 pm)
For our first anniversary I wrote him 365 reasons why I love him and included a scrap book of our pictures and memories. Now our 2nd year is coming up and I'm stumped! I am getting himeither an xbox or ps3 for Christmas. Our anniversary is December 8th. Please help. He needs new boots but how do I make it more romantic with it?
(On October 17th, 2008 at 4:33 pm)
I am a freshman in HS. I have been with this guy going on one year in about 2 weeks. And I havn't a clue what to get him…
(On October 21st, 2008 at 4:40 am)
my boyfriend and i are celebrating 3rd year anniversary i dont know what to do plz heil its on the 23rd of december
(On November 12th, 2008 at 11:23 am)
I really don't know what to get my boyfriend; our 1 year anniversary is coming up on 11/15. When we first met last year we met each other at a lounge. But that wasn't our first date, our first date was at a Spanish restaurant. I am kind of on a tight budget so I am having trouble finding something nice but romantic to give him or to do. I thought of buying him a digital camera because the one he has now broke a few weeks ago…..does anyone have a better suggestion?
(On November 12th, 2008 at 11:45 am)
One of my favorite things to give on a first year anniversary is a scrap book. It;s really budget friendly and if you guys have some nice pictures together, it can really come out nicely.
(On November 27th, 2008 at 4:46 pm)
Ron,
i've been googling all over the internet for birthday ideas. i want to do something really nice for my boyfriend. he's 10 yrs. older than me, so i wanted to buy/do something that will really impress him. i have a budget of about $150, any ideas would help!
(On December 5th, 2008 at 5:11 pm)
I want to do something extra special for my boyfriend for our one year anniversary in January. I have a few ideas (i.e. scrapbook, scavenger hunt) but I want something really romantic. We were friends before we got together, plus he's in the Army, so a lot of our "firsts" aren't accessible places. Any ideas??
(On January 10th, 2009 at 11:48 am)
Scrww it – for the one year – just say – " if things work out, we'll be together tomorrow – if not, oh well, bye!"
(On January 10th, 2009 at 11:50 am)
The best gift to give to a guy is simple and inexpensive – show him that you aren't going to be a financial drain down the road – show him you can have restraint, keep it personal, and not be a high-maintenance date that requires "keeping up with the Jonese's";
Show him affection and bonding by being willing to ENJOY time watching sports, eating chicken wings, and playing video games – and actually try to play and win against him! That will show him that you can be a challenge and a sport – that's what guys want!
(On January 10th, 2009 at 11:52 am)
Buy movie tickets, a pizza crust, pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni – tell him that all you want to do is spend time together – that you don't need gold, and silver, and that you don't care about things – you care about HIM!
Then make pizza together and go to a movie and enjoy your time together – Daaaaaaaa! THat's what it is all about, anyways, right?
(On February 5th, 2009 at 8:16 am)
For my 1st and 2nd anniversary, we used scavenger hunts and it really showed us both a fun time and how much we cared to take the time to plan it out. I have made a scrapbook, gotten electronics (ipod touch for christmas after 3 years) and have done alot of clothes. I love the idea of themes, like the comment above with the heart, mind, body, and soul. making gifts has been a great way to do something from the heart and save money. He gave me a written letter from the heart, with a great picture of us in the background of the letter, and framed it. I loved it. Hope this helped.
(On February 5th, 2009 at 12:05 pm)
so for my one year (this was a long time ago now) but i posted on this wall for ideas. we mutually decided that we wanted to do something away from the big city we live in. so we got a hotel 45 mins away from the city. it was cheaper [$85/night] bc it was outside the city limits but it wasnt too far of a drive. we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant [they gave is a discount bc we said it was our 1 year anniversary lol] and then we decided to go to a adult store and pick out 2 things for eachother. we didnt show eachother until we were back at the hotel. it was great. fun, romantic, and sexy.
(On February 5th, 2009 at 12:13 pm)
heres a suggestion…
pick three things that you and your man/woman are into. [i.e. my guy and i are foodies, college students, and are in our early 20's]
then you can use these to pick something you think both of you would like to do. [i.e. foodies=went out to eat, college students/broke=stayed at a hotel outside the city to keep money in our pockets, young=went to an adult store]
book and your done.
basically what you really want to do is make sure on the anniversary you: do something normal, do something out of normal, and do something so you can learn more about eachother. learning about eachother will help you carry the relationship into months and years to follow. you should never want to stop learning about eachother.
(On April 1st, 2009 at 7:58 pm)
Hello my boyfriend and I are heading into our one year anniversary and I dont know exactly what to do. I already did the scrapbook thing for christmas..now i'm kicking myself because it has left me presentless for our 1 year. We have been through a lot this year and I want it to be really romantic and personal. I just moved to chicago to be with him also
(On April 7th, 2009 at 6:02 pm)
So i've been dating my man for 2 yrs come may and need ideas.
(On April 17th, 2009 at 12:45 am)
Michelle
I am in the same boat as you are.My 2 year anniversary is May 24th,2009 and I have no idea what to do for my man and I really want to make it special cause our 1st year anniversary wasn't all what we wanted it to be and maybe it's because we've both been to that point with other people and figured why make a big deal about it but now going on 2 years we've both beat our record and still are as much in love as we were the first day we said I love you.I know he's the man I want to marry and we're both at that same point in life and parts of me wants him to ask me that day but then I don't know cause I don't want things to be rushed but I figure being with the same man that long and really knowing everything there is to know about him that's our next step in our relationship but I sometimes think he's not ready quite as much as I am.There's also an age difference too that sometimes causes issues.I am 25 and he's 21.I'm starting back school this fall and he is already finished with his associates and going for his BS and working full time.We both still live at home with our parents too which does make things a little hard but we manage cause no matter what we love each other and both are always willing to go that extra mile to be together.I haven't worked in a while since I got hurt at work back in August 2008 so I have more time on my hands then he does.Do you or anyone else have any advice for me?Email me comments,anyone who can respond to any of my issues/concerns=}
Thanks=}
Jamie
(On April 20th, 2009 at 8:00 am)
bed and breakfast for you miss jamie just get away from the hectic life and enjoy each others company, its hard for me and my boyfriend because of our wrk schedules so i would need a non vacation idea?
Jamie do you feel he may feel the marriage thing in the future too?
(On May 1st, 2009 at 2:41 pm)
Michelle
Yeah I do feel the marriage thing is coming sooner than I know it.He's talking more and more about our future and yes he says "WE".We r going camping for our anniversary celebrating the anniversary as well as my best friend's birthday.It happens to be May 22nd and my anniversary is May 24th so we figured to all go together to celebrate both things and to top it off it's Memorial Day weekend.I was hoping you could give me an idea for a gift for him:)
Thanks Girl!
Jamie
(On May 4th, 2009 at 2:52 pm)
hmm gift ideas lets c……id bracelet? does he have any hobbies maybe add the necessary items to his hobbies if needed? clothes? sneaks? or just something from the heart mayb homemade?
we are currently celebrating our 2 yr so lets c what the man will do for me!
(On May 6th, 2009 at 8:22 pm)
My boyfriend and I will be celebrating our one year in July . We aren't too serious as his previous relationship was super serious . We don't say I love you and the first part of the relationship we didn't really call each other boyfriend and girlfriend it just fell into place. He's 25 and I'm 20. I'm not sure what to do for a gift , valentines day we both worked but I made him scrapbook page picture and framed them and we went out to dinner and spent a night together that weekend. We have always talked about getting a hotel room at the casino – our first date was there . But it has not happen yet , we might go there for our one year. We love to do fun things together and are up for something new . We always have fun together and are very close – hes my best friend i spend kost of my spare time with him . Do you have any gift ideas ? For his birthday I took him to a expensive high end restaurant and bought him a watch . I'm stumped , I love to be creative and I like the scavenger hunt idea we love doing spontanous crazy fun things together but how do I do that ? Any creative ideas… romantic…fun anything will help , thanks : )
(On May 9th, 2009 at 6:40 am)
my boyfriend and i are going to celebrate our 7th year together on june 19th,2009…being together as girlfriend-boyfriend,its not hard for us in giving gifts every anniversary that we have…everything seems to be perfect and great….we dont bother much about what gift we are going to give with each other,though we keep on giving each other gifts even its not our anniversary or birthday or valentines day,nor christmas…if we found something that fits in our moods to give a token every day,we did that…
the only thing right now is that,we are not the same couple that we used to…we always fight this past few months…we fight in little things and little issues we have…no time for further explainations and we dont appreciate every little or big things that we do…this past few months is very hard for both of us…but still we decided to celebrate and be together on the 19th of june…and now i dont know what to give to him….it seems that i dont even know the person anymmore…but i know in my heart that i love him so much…i know he still love me also but i dont know what went wrong…and for that,i dont know how will i prepare myself on that day and how will we celebrate then…..i want to give him our memories back were we used to but im afraid that he will not like the idea anymore….plz help me what will i do,what am i going to give him and how will i prepare for that day….
(well,in fact right now,we dont talk with each other,no calls,no text..or even a single hi-hello) HELP PLZ>>>>>>>
(On May 12th, 2009 at 11:38 am)
Dear Zhyll,
It sounds like you guys are still in love and just going through a rough patch, which I believe happens to everyone. Even if that's not the case and you guys have grown apart, if you truly still love this man, I would give him something that represents your time together. Either a photo album that you make or anything that means something to both of you. Because it never hurts to express the way you feel, even at the end.
In terms of preparing for that day, just go in to the situation with an open mind and maybe a goal. Either to not fight and really work on saving the relationship or even something as small as just enjoying your day with him. You also said that you felt like you didn't know him anymore. Well on that day, try to see the things you do know and love about him. It's possible you guys are growing, but remember that you can try to grow together.
Best of luck to you.
(On June 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm)
Hi! my girlfriend and i are going to be celebrating our 4 year anniversary on june 11…I am stuck on what to get her and what to do that day. we are in Visalia, Ca
(On June 4th, 2009 at 7:52 am)
My boyfriend and I have been dating for one year (June 30) and I was at a loss as to what to get him for quite some time. I couldn't plan a romantic day/night away because we'd be on vacation with his extended family when our anniversary came around. I was thinking about getting matching engraved rings, but they were all so expensive no matter where I went. I almost gave up on the idea of a gift altogether, honestly. But then I came up with the idea to make two copies of a picture of us (the paper aspect) and put them into sealable glass bottles. Then while we're at the beach, I'm going to fill them up with sand and then seal them shut. I think it'll make a nice and memorable present for the two of us. The trick will be not getting sand infront of the picture.
(On June 8th, 2009 at 7:01 pm)
Hi!
I saw this site and was very thankful for the advice. However, I am still a bit unsure. My boyfriend is one year older than me and we have been best friends for 4 years. As of July 26th, we will have been dating for one. We're pretty serious about each other and I think a promise ring is the way to go, but I'm just not fully sure. Is there anyway I can find out from him without blatantly asking to see if he would go for it? He's leaving for college in august and I want to give him something he will really love.
(On June 29th, 2009 at 8:38 pm)
Hello
,
I am celebrating my one year with my boyfriend on August 10th. We were friends for seven months before we dated, and we're very close. We're also very artistic people, but I find that he's hard to get presents for- I tend to go for sentimental/useful gifts, and I feel like I've almost outdone myself. I'd like to do something fairly big for our one year, possibly up to a budget of $300. We live a couple hours away from chicago. Any ideas?
(On July 27th, 2009 at 10:34 am)
hey… i have been dating my boyfriend for a year on august 22nd and i don't really know what to get him. not only is he my boyfriend but he is my best friend. he was my best friend for about a year before we started dating. i liked the idea of the paper thing(ie letter) but we already did that for valentines day, i have a few little things like a drum stick i caught from one of his favorite bands a signed picture of them and a few other little things that are like inside jokes but i want to have like one main present to go with all the little things.. i was going to like plan an evening but he likes to do that sort of thing so i think i am going to let him… we were going to do the whole sex thing as to like lose our virginity together but that kinda already happened… so now i'm stumped. i know what he likes to do, rock climbing, weight lifting, crazy stuff but there isn't really anything i can get him that has to do with that that he doesnt already have…
oh but a cute idea for other people that we already did for valentines day was have the whole sweet heartfelt letter and then have little pieces of paper with "i love you" in a whole bunch of languages with the language it was on the back. that was one of my favorite gifts… hope that helps anyone!
(On July 27th, 2009 at 10:37 am)
i appreciate anything you say that may help!
(On July 27th, 2009 at 10:53 am)
Danielle,
Hi my name is jamison Nathaniel, I am a writer for the love and
Relationship column for the san Francisco chronicle. I
Have read your question and would like to say that
No matter what you do or get him it seems as though
You two love eachother a lot. But I would suggest
Weight lifting equipment or rock climbing shoes.
Hope this helps have a great day and remember love concures
All.
(On August 15th, 2009 at 3:08 pm)
Hey,
well my and my boyfriend are having our 1 year anniversary next month and we both agreed to exchange gift. my only problem is that i have no clue what to get him. i dont want to give him just anything like a cd or whatever, but like jewlery or a nice watch but im not sure what guys are into. what should i do?
(On September 21st, 2009 at 8:31 am)
me and my fiance will be datin 1yr nov 13th. he is takin me out to dinner and to a carolina football game. i have no idea what to get him! i wanted to make something or get him something really special! *PLEASE help
(On September 30th, 2009 at 10:11 am)
me and my fiance's 2 yr anniversary is coming up and I have no idea what to do for him! Last year i made him a scrapbook, wrote him a song, ad made his favorite food…he proposed and i accepted
now our anniversary is coming up and i have no idea what to do for him! i want to make it really special but i dont know how. We live in Virginia Beach Virginia, and i want to do more then just taking him to the beach…do you have any ideas?
(On October 7th, 2009 at 3:59 pm)
WOW im jealous. I had my 2 year anni sat. and here it is wed and nothing. No dinner, no flowers. I wait he got me a decal and a hunting shirt. (for free). I got him $60 decal for his boat. How do I let him know that im upset and that im really dissappointed.
(On October 18th, 2009 at 4:00 pm)
Hey, it's my two year anniversary with my boyfriend and I really don't have any idea what to do.
(On November 1st, 2009 at 2:42 am)
One year for me tomorrow guys… haha…I guess that's actually today looking at the time… but I think I'm giving my boyfriend a sentimental letter for one, and for all the artsy types out there, he really likes my drawings. So I've tried a portrait of him. We'll see what he thinks.
(On November 16th, 2009 at 8:19 am)
My boyfriend and I have been together for 1 year. I want to do something special for him but we have a spending limit of $25 for each other. I live in Alexandria, MN. I am planning most of it…
(On November 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm)
me and my boyfriend will have been dating for a year on December 6th. he said he is making me something like a gift. i wanna get him something too but my mind is blank. i was thinking about giving him a photo of when we had our first date but im not sure. what do u think???
(On November 25th, 2009 at 12:25 am)
Alright. So I need some advice. My girlfriend and I will have been dating for a year on Dec 13. We are in high school but pretty serious. I'm not sure what to get her or what we should do to celebrate. Any ideas let me know please! Thanks